Levomycetin General Information

An antibiotic first isolated from cultures of Streptomyces venequelae in 1947 but now produced synthetically. It has a relatively simple structure and was the first broad-spectrum antibiotic to be discovered. It acts by interfering with bacterial protein synthesis and is mainly bacteriostatic. (From Martindale, The Extra Pharmacopoeia, 29th ed, p106)

Levomycetin - Pharmacology:

Levomycetin is lipid-soluble, allowing it to diffuse through the bacterial cell membrane. It then reversibly binds to the 50S subunit of bacterial ribosomes where transfer of amino acids to growing peptide chains is prevented (perhaps by suppression of peptidyl transferase activity), thus inhibiting peptide bond formation and subsequent protein synthesis.